False Dawn
by Blackheart2
Summary: Done with Chapter Four...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Final Fantasy Tactics is the property of Square/Enix. I do not challenge their copyright in any way, though I wish they'd put out a sequel on a system other than the GBA.

**Author's Notes: **I know FFT is a pretty old game, but I've had a story idea for it knocking around for a while now, and I guess I'll write this thing just to get it out of my head. 

Honest criticism is always welcome; flamers will either be ignored, laughed at, or violently counter-flamed, depending on my mood.

Just a note: I do NOT support any of the numerous pairings I've seen on FF.net, especially the highly popular Ramza/Agrias combo. In truth I consider that pairing to be baseless, as I cannot recall the two of them ever talking about anything important (except for a short snippet in the middle of a fight at Golgorand), much less do anything intimate. Heck, Ramza/Meliadoul or Ramza/Rafa or even Ramza/Ovelia would be more likely than Ramza/Agrias.

….Just my opinion! Don't hurt me! (Runs away) ^_-

Chapter One 

_Murond Holy City (A few days after Ramza's defeat of Altima)_

The great doors of the temple shone golden in the midday light, reflecting sunlight off their polished surfaces and almost blinding anyone approaching with their gleaming magnificence. 

They were the gates that led into the sanctuary and headquarters of the Glabados Church, quite possibly the most sacred location in Ivalice, and no expense had been spared to remind anyone who viewed them of that fact. Elaborate carvings depicting scenes of St. Ajora's life and works covered the massive set of twin doors, inlaid with precious metals and sparkling gemstones. As ornate as they were, they had very little defensive value in a siege, but what did it matter? No one would dare to attack Murond. The Church's haven had stood inviolate for many years, and many of the faithful had believed Murond would last until the end of the world, lulled into complacency and a sense of false security.

Now all of that was over. The mighty Church had finally been humbled, centuries of tradition smashed like an egg crushed by a sledgehammer. Glabados was reeling, leaderless and vulnerable for the first time most of the priests could remember. They knew that many of the less pious nobles resented the Church's vast wealth and the moral authority they held in the eyes of the masses. They also knew that when there was blood was in the water, sharks would inevitably begin to circle. Over the years the Glabados Church had watched that same death scene numerous times as opportunists swarmed over weakened governments, snipping off whatever they could until there was nothing left but a picked corpse. In fact, the Church had often profited from wrenching what it could from dying opponents. This time, though, it was different. This time it was Glabados that was bleeding, and if the Church fell, the clergy would fall with it. Action was required to ensure the Church survived without losing power to the constantly hungry nobles, and it needed to come fast.

Those dark thoughts were foremost in the mind of the man that strode up to the magnificent gates of the temple, coming to a halt several yards away. Several knights were on guard in front of the doors, though it was a priest who came forward.

"Who demands entry into Murond Temple?"

The man squared his shoulders, straightening to an imposing height as he shook his shoulders, briefly readjusting his voluminous robes. He had a full head of thick, dark hair that was only starting to turn gray around the edges, though his craggy face was lined from years of following his stressful calling. His voice, when it came, was deep and filled with the unmistakable ring of authority.

"I am Lakus Pardejan, Pagan Examiner of the Glabados Church. By the will of Saint Ajora, I demand you open the gates!"

The priest's eyes widened briefly. He had heard of this Pagan Examiner, and he knew he was not a man to be crossed. Almost of their own will, his eyes drifted past the senior churchman's shoulder, to the hulking figure dressed in shining golden armor covered with a green surcoat. The Shrine Knight's face was hidden in the curve of his hood, but he'd seen enough of them to know- this man was a Divine Knight, which meant the trouble dropped in his lap had just been increased twofold. His tone became far more respectful, and he bowed.

"Forgive me for failing to recognize you, Pagan Examiner. Enter, and feel welcome in the house of God." He turned to the guards. "Open the gates!"

Lakus marched through the doors as soon as they were ajar, not even waiting for them to be fully opened. All of the gate guards scrambled to avoid touching or inconveniencing him. They moved back with only slightly less haste to avoid his Divine Knight escort. Inside the temple, another acolyte scurried forward, bowing as low as was humanly possible while remaining standing. 

"Your Eminence! The Cardinals and the other Pagan Examiners have all arrived already. Their meeting has just begun. Would you-"

Lakus gestured impatiently.

"Enough wasting time then. Lead me to them."

"Of course, your Eminence! Please, follow me!"

The young priest hurried away, glancing back to make sure they were following. Lakus smiled thinly, imagining how close to God he must feel after escorting some of the highest officials in the Glabados Church to the council chambers. Perhaps he'd spend the night praying after his exalting experience. He himself had long since gotten used to dealing with high officials. The senior churchmen were all extremely adept at burying their heads in the sand and ignoring any possibility of anything threatening their comfortable monopoly; the other Pagan Examiners ranged from fanatics so immersed in dogma they saw heresy around every corner to bored cynics who had lost their faith. It was no wonder the Church had fallen on hard times with men like these running it.

A pair of guards opened the doors to the council chambers, and Lakus and his bodyguard swept inside, bypassing the door guards and the young priest, who kept bowing as they went by. The doors boomed shut behind them.

"Good, Lakus, you're finally here." Cardinal Gudros leaned forwards, steepling his fingers. The Pagan Examiner noted the old man's palsied hands were shaking, and his voice sounded even thinner than the last time he'd heard him.

"Have you been informed of all the recent…happenings?"

"No, Cardinal. I came here as soon as I received word that something was amiss." Actually, Lakus had already gotten some detailed information, but he wanted to see how much they'd tell him and how bad they thought it was.

"It is simple enough. Cardinal Draclau's murder has been followed up here. The High Priest was assassinated along with most of the priests here at Murond and most of the senior clergy. There were no witnesses to most of the killing, but the heretic Ramza Beoulve was seen here on that day."

Lakus drew in a deep, hissing breath. The young Beoulve had been someone who'd interested him, and after hearing that he'd killed Zalmo he had been intent on tracking him down and bringing him to justice after he'd finished some other business in Zeltennia. Apparently, he shouldn't have waited- it had cost the Church dearly.

"The Shrine Knights have been decimated- their leaders have been missing ever since the massacre here and most of the Knights are missing as well. Orbonne Monastery's priests were also slaughtered by someone- again the renegade Beoulve was spotted going there by our informants. Apparently Vormav was there too, but all of them seem to have disappeared without a trace."

Although he said nothing, Lakus could feel the heat radiating from the knight behind him, and he smiled mentally. The angrier he became, the more effective a fighter he was. This Beoulve would have to be very careful…

"Why did you call me here?"

The assembly of watching eyes did not intimidate him in the least, but he sensed that there had been a general consensus regarding him before he'd even arrived. Something was up…

The Cardinal leaned back slowly in his seat.

"The Church is in disarray. Many of the senior clergy are dead and it will take a while to bring the Shrine Knights back to full strength. We are more vulnerable than we have been for centuries." His eyes bored into Lakus.

"Should any word about the former High Priest's plot ever get out, we will have been dealt a blow we may never recover from. The heretic Beoulve and the new King, Delita both know about it. We can count on the King's silence; if word gets out the nation he spent so much time piecing back together will erupt into civil war once again. Ramza, however, is too dangerous to be allowed to live. You must hunt him down, if he still lives. He has in his possession the Germonik Scriptures and a number of the legendary Zodiac Stones that Funeral was planning to use to recreate the Zodiac Braves. Recover them all. You are the best Pagan Examiner we have left after Zalmo's death. This Beoulve must be found and silenced permanently. It does not matter how, or what it will cost."

"I always thought Funeral was a fool to twist the story of the Zodiac Braves for earthly power." Lakus' mouth twisted into a sneer. "Those stones are one of the centerpieces of our faith and you old men are only worried about political upheavals. You are all pathetic. I will find the stones, and the Scriptures, and I will hunt down the Beoulve, but not for your reasons. Do not presume to give me commands. I'll carry out the mission I was sworn to accomplish as a Pagan Examiner, but not under your orders!"

The old man sighed.

"We don't care what motivates you, Lakus. Just get it done and we can rebuild. I am sure you would agree that the Church must survive."

Lakus did not bother hiding his contempt as he turned away and strode off, his escort following after.

_Watch your step, Ramza Beoulve…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Final Fantasy Tactics is the property of Square/Enix. I do not own it, though I hope I someday will. =)

**Author's Notes: **Hooray for boredom… lack of anything else to do has sped up my production schedule. On to my response corner…

**tenshi no ai: **Thanks for the compliments. By 'dense' do you mean wordy? Sorry if it was a bit hard to understand, I have this tendency to overly embellish things. Sometimes I add in all sorts of weird tidbits or phrases that seem out of place because I want to emphasize certain things.

I'm actually very bad at titles… I spend a lot of time thinking them up. I just figured 'False Dawn' was as good as any- it's sort of saying that the end of the game (defeat of Altima) was a false dawn of sorts for Ramza because his problems aren't all solved yet…

**Evanescence: **Again, thanks for the compliments. Stuff like that keeps me going…=). I'm trying to walk the line between 'descriptive' and 'overly descriptive' while trying to find the right amount of add-ons and detail that will be 'vividly descriptive'. I more or less figured 'shiny' would be enough for the door, but I do agree I could have worked at describing the council chambers, but I was sleepy and I wanted to end the chapter and go to bed.

I'll keep what you said in mind for the rest of the story.

Whew…okay, a few other clarifications I have to make (this is long, but bear with me, it'll help clear any confusion that might arise)

- Ramza's Party: I can't spend a lot of time working on the no-names (extras from the original group at Gariland and any others you pick up along the way), so I'm killing them all off before the story begins. That'll leave only the special Jobs, like Orlandu or Agrias, and they'll still be a handful. Perhaps I'll reduce the number somewhat. I'll use my own party as a basis, so they'll probably use the abilities that I had them learn in my last file. Certainly no one kept them in their base class forever without letting them learn some skills, right? Well, with the exception of Cid, of course. No point in bothering.

- Time frame: Well, I can't really set the date that Altima is killed because the player more or less decides when s/he wants to go tangle with him (in my last file Ramza was 28 before I went to Orbonne), but for the setting of this chapter I'll assume there was a period of time (maybe two weeks or so) between Altima's defeat and Alma's 'funeral'.

- Combat scenes: I'm making combat a bit more fluid by making equipment, abilities, etc. a little bit more flexible than in the game, like a little less emphasis on job-specific weapons. So don't freak out if you see a Knight carrying a spear or something. Handbags will be completely removed.

- Story: I'll have to twist the ending a bit, I guess. They can't 'never be seen again'. So inconvenient, that ending…

Chapter Two

Lakus idly studied his surroundings, letting his eyes roam over the grassy field. The green monotony of the churchyard was broken here and there by the gray shapes of headstones of every shape and size. Some were ornate, carved with images of angels that leaned over the tombs in prayerful poses, while others were simply hunks of rock with names etched on them. Towering over the rest of the cemetery were the brooding and somewhat menacing dark gray forms of mausoleums and crypts owned by nobles. Each building had its own unique design and bore the heraldry of the family whose dead reposed within. 

The Pagan Examiner found such an ostentatious display of pride and wealth to be overly arrogant. A tomb was a tomb. It did not matter if yours was carved from elegant marble or rough stone; the worms would eat you all the same. People ought to realize that what happened to your body when it was dead was none of their concern; you should be worried about what would happen to your spirit.

The sound of clanking armor interrupted his musings, and he turned to see Tyralt Argus, his Shrine Knight escort, weaving his way along the overgrown path towards him. He had pulled down his hood, revealing his close-cropped brown hair, which was somewhat offset by his trademark beard, which he always kept well groomed and trimmed. The Divine Knight was over thirty, but he wore his age well; he moved with an easy, light step despite his heavy armor, and his clear hazel eyes and unlined face would not have looked out of place on a man ten years younger. Perhaps his features reflected his nature, Lakus thought. He was ever dependable and trustworthy, was one of those people you thought would be around forever.

"The knights are ready, your Eminence. I would have had it done sooner, but the priests the council sent along slowed things down a little."

Lakus nodded. The old men had sent a couple of their underlings along with him, insisting he might need the magical support they could provide. More likely they still remembered the treachery of their former 'servant', Delita. He would have thought that they would trust him to do his duty, but something about this mission was making them nervous. 

Whatever reason they were there for, the acolytes of the senior clergy were getting on his nerves. They and the knights sent along 'just in case' were undoubtedly scrutinizing his every move while trying to act like they were being useful. He wondered, not for the first time, what exactly was it about the man they were hunting or the artifacts they sought that made the Cardinals so nervous. Perhaps they were simply learning caution, but this was a bad time to start. He was used to his knights and mages; they'd worked together for a long time now, and he knew he could count on them to do what needed to be done, but these outsiders were breaking up the system.

He knew, and had known for a long time, that the Shrine Knights were more or less broken into different camps; even within the Church there were plenty of power struggles and influential churchmen tried to win over the knights to their own cause. His suspicions of their divided loyalties had been proven over the past few months, when Vormav, Rofel, and Kletian had up and vanished along with a sizable body of warriors. He was still suspicious of what part those three had had in the killing of the High Priest and the appearances of the heretic Ramza at Murond and Orbonne. They were almost certainly related somehow, and after he caught Ramza, he would extract a confession from him and decide what was to be done about the missing knights. 

However, this was not the time to be thinking that far ahead. He had to catch the heretic first, and before that, he had to find him. The churchman turned his attention back to a certain group of people gathered around a grave. They were beginning to disperse.

"You are certain of the placements? None will escape?"

"Yes, your eminence. It would have been better to take them all right now, though- then we can be sure."

"No." Lakus' reply was absent as he rubbed his jaw. "If we captured them all this instant then someone who was watching might know."

Tyralt shifted slightly, hitching his thumbs into his sword belt.

"Your eminence, would you explain to me the reasoning behind capturing all the mourners at Alma Beoulve's funeral? If any of them believed that she was still alive, they probably wouldn't even be here."

"True." The Pagan Examiner turned and started down the path, gesturing for the knight to follow. "However, this is as good a place to start as any. The Church reward on Ramza Beoulve or any information pertaining to his whereabouts is still being offered, and sooner or later someone will see him and report. In the meantime we may as well keep busy by following up every lead we can. These people would not be here if they were not close to the young Miss Beoulve. We can capture them, interrogate them, and find out some more information. Perhaps they can provide names and locations of other known friends of hers. Perhaps they might know of places where she's likely to hide if she were being pursued. Perhaps they might have some information regarding her whereabouts for the past while. The last anyone could recall about her was that she was at Lesalia quite some time ago. A report obtained from Zalmo when he was requisitioning more men indicated she helped her brother when he attempted to capture Ramza, which means that it is likely she is with him. If they are alive, they are probably on the run somewhere…she may attempt to contact an acquaintance we don't know of. There is no harm in being thorough."

"I see. One more question, if I may, your eminence?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"What is written in these Germonik Scriptures that the Cardinal spoke of?"

"I am not entirely certain myself. I do know that Germonik, one of St. Ajora's disciples, wrote it. Perhaps Funeral was also using it to recreate the Zodiac Brave story. Either way, they are in all probability an important document of our faith, and so they do not belong in the hands of a heretic. Tyralt, go ahead and make sure that the cordon has secured the mourners. I'm going to take a look around the gravesite."

"Yes, your eminence."

Lakus rounded down another pathway after separating from the Divine Knight, heading closer to Alma's grave so he could take another look in case some late mourner showed up and dodged the watchers. Thoroughness was always important in his line of work…

Standing behind a thick tree trunk, he peered around at the still-distant burial site, and stopped dead as he saw a couple emerge from some nearby trees and walk up to the grave. The woman laid some flowers on top of it. They stood for a bit, then the woman walked away. A moment later, the man began to leave as well, then stopped for a moment. Lakus was so engrossed in watching him that he almost missed the flash of yellow and the glint of sunlight off steel as a pair of chocobos and riders tore past the grave. The man apparently recognized them, for he tried to follow but was easily outdistanced almost immediately. The woman returned and the man pointed excitedly after them. Lakus did not stop to watch any longer. Pulse quickening, he turned and dashed off towards his knights, not caring that he looked rather awkward in his robes. This was something he hadn't expected, not in a hundred years- but the chance had jumped right into his face, and he knew he mustn't waste it. If those riders had been who he thought they were…

It took precious time for him to gather enough men and to find Tyralt. When they returned, the gravesite was deserted.

"I want you to search the entire graveyard!" Lakus gave them the description of the man and woman who'd appeared after the funeral. "Find them, and capture them. They must not escape!" 

Steel jangled as men rushed off to obey, forming groups as they moved away in every direction. The Pagan Examiner spun and gestured to Tyralt.

"Find someone who can follow tracks and have him start after these chocobo prints! They must be found."

The knight nodded and turned to issue orders, waving at his soldiers while Lakus turned back to the grave, feeling the powerful sense of impatience that always came when he felt he was growing close to his quarry.

He was almost sure now that it was the Beoulve siblings who had ridden by, and he knew he absolutely had to capitalize on their mistake. 

_Coming to your own funeral? How fitting._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Does anyone else think that Meliadoul might be bald under that hood? Seriously, I don't think anyone doesn't know I don't own FF Tactics. But I'm serious about Meliadoul. I think she IS bald. That's why she wears the hood. Rofel could be bald too, though his picture doesn't make me think so the way Meliadoul's does.

**Author's Notes: **Not much to add here. Just a quick dash over to my reader response corner:

**tenshi no ai: **Yes, I am rather pedantic about all details matching as much as possible. I'm not the sort who takes a lot of liberties making up additional stuff.

The last chapter was basically from Lakus' viewpoint. Naturally I couldn't try to write it to be sympathetic towards Ramza because he's trying to hunt him down. I'm not overly good at portraying emotions either, though I'm trying to practice. 

I felt sorry for my generic characters too. I like them, but making up a whole bunch of identities and personalities and then integrating them into the big bunch of Ramza's other allies is too much for me. Maybe instead of saying they're dead I'll just plain ignore the fact they ever existed. Yeah. That'd work.

I hate abstract titles too. =) Must be a carryover from all those stupid "How do you relate the title of the story… blah blah blah" questions from old English classes. 

**hybrid: **Thanks. I did think that the 'never seen again' bit was just officially, in the history books. They probably settled somewhere where they were unknown. Either that or they were just ghosts or something… bah. I'm just confusing myself again.

**Uh…(blank): **Well, I didn't quite say ages would come from my game file. I'm deliberately avoiding any reference to age because people would've finished the game at different times. What I was trying to say was that I'm just assuming some time passed between the final battle at Orbonne and Alma's funeral, giving Lakus and the Shrine Knights enough time to get there. What will be based on my saved game will be the abilities of the characters and the varying skills they will use. For example, my Ramza's got all the Draw Outs, all the Throws, and Vertical and Level Jump 8, so don't be surprised if he starts using them.

Also, yes, I am not going to be writing any romantic scenes. I've come to the conclusion I'm not very good at those, though I've been working to improve with no visible results. I agree that Ramza's relationships with his companions are rather vague, but I find Agrias to be an odd choice to pair with him. Working from the story I don't really see much between them. Like I said before, it's my opinion that Rafa or Meliadoul would be better choices, but never mind about that. (Whispering: Did anyone else get the impression Agrias was frigid? Might just be me, but I'm pretty sure that girl is good at scaring off potential suitors.)

Whew. It's almost a blessing that I only got a few reviews. These responses would go on forever if I had more. Anyway, on with the story.

Chapter Three

"Alma! Wait for a second!"

The brown-haired girl reigned in her mount, looking over her shoulder with an inquisitive expression. Ramza rode up beside her, swaying easily in the chocobo's saddle while glancing around.

"We've run them for long enough. We don't want to tire them out too much and then end up having to walk them for a while. It's still a good distance to the camp." 

Alma sighed and nodded. She urged her chocobo forward again, but at a more leisurely pace, staying beside her brother. 

"It's such a nice day for a ride, though." She tilted her head back to study the sky. It was as blue as she'd ever seen it, the endless expanse of open space dotted here and there by fluffy white clouds that drifted aimlessly like gigantic sheep. Somewhere in the trees, birds were chirping brightly, and the wind carried the fresh scent of the grassland around them.

"It is," Ramza agreed. It was a peaceful scene, but he continued to study the woods around them anyway. Caution was something his training at Gariland had bred into him, and it had further been enforced by all the traveling he'd done and all the double-crosses and ambushes he'd lived through. Alma noticed his intense scrutiny.

"Ramza, stop staring at the trees like that. Sooner or later they're going to burst into flames or something. Relax a little."

"Sorry." He looked apologetic. "It's just that I'm worried about monsters or bandits. After the war, roads are probably lined with opportunists or deserters, and monsters are probably roaming further out than normal these days."

"So, how many people do you think are left at the camp?" Alma flicked at a bug that had landed on her shoulder.

"I don't know. I told everyone before we left that they could all leave now that everything's over. I wonder how many of them actually did."

They rode in companionable silence for a while, enjoying the trek through the outdoors. It seemed to Ramza that he couldn't remember the last time he'd ever had nothing of importance to do. He'd spent the past few years running through the country with some quest or other to accomplish, and he'd always had another battle waiting around the next corner. Now he was rather short on things to do. It was an odd change, but not an unwelcome one. 

Ramza glanced up into the sky to judge the time by the position of the sun. Since he was looking up, Alma was the first to notice an oddly shaped stone that vaguely resembled a sword jutting up from the side of the road. It was a landmark she'd memorized, and it told her they were near their campsite. Ramza was just returning his eyes to the road, so she took the opportunity to spur her chocobo forward, turning her head back to shout at the surprised warrior.

"We're almost there! Come on, brother, I'll race you!"

Ramza blinked, then grinned as he brought his own mount into a run, but she had a head start and also had the advantage of being much lighter than her brother in his armor. The chocobo she was riding was young and had a great deal of energy, but was also as surefooted as almost every chocobo was, so she let it have free rein and run to its heart's content.

Alma looked behind her and laughed at Ramza, who was still a goodly distance behind. She raised a hand to wave a jaunty goodbye, but instead crashed forward into her mount's neck as it came to an abrupt halt. Her ponytail flew over her back and landed squarely on her face. She heard Ramza's chocobo coming to a halt somewhere behind hers as she gingerly eased back so that her body was totally in the saddle before flipping her hair back out of her eyes. Standing scant inches away from her chocobo was Malak, holding a bucket he'd filled with water from a nearby stream. He looked unnaturally pale.

"I swear, Alma, when that chocobo came around the turn right at me, I saw my life flash in front of my eyes."

She managed a weak laugh. "Sorry."

"Malak? You're still here?" Ramza dismounted and walked his chocobo over.

"Yeah." The Hell Knight rubbed the back of his head. "Rafa and I…don't really have anywhere to go. We talked it over, but we decided we'd wait for you to get back before we decided. I know it doesn't make much difference, but just leaving without saying anything seemed pretty cold. You're not good at goodbyes, Ramza."

The Beoulve shrugged. "No, not really. Sorry."

"Come on. Let's get back to the camp." Malak grinned briefly. "Seems you might be a tad bit more inspirational than you think you are, though…"

The puzzled siblings followed Malak to their campsite, where they silently surveyed the semicircle of tents and the fire pit. Ramza finally scratched his head, just for a lack of anything better to do.

"Well…looks like almost everyone's still here."

"Mustadio left," Malak offered. "He said he had some stuff to do with his father. He took Worker 8 and Cloud with him. I know they were talking about trying to send Cloud back where he came from."

"Oh." Ramza continued looking around. "Well… good for them, I guess."

Orlandu had seen them arrive and made his way over. 

"So, how was the funeral?"

Ramza shrugged.

"I don't know. We weren't really _at _the funeral. We just watched." He looked at Alma. His sister smiled.

"Well, you only get a funeral once. You might as well be there, right?"

"By the way…Cid…Olan was at the funeral." 

The old man turned to face Ramza when he delivered that bit of news. 

"Really? How did he look? Was he alright?"

"Well, he looked ok. We didn't really stop to talk. People could've been nearby. Cid, what are you still doing here? Maybe you should go talk to Olan…"

Orlandu sighed and tapped the pommel of his sword. His answer came slowly.

"No… not now, anyway. You're right- Delita's spies will probably be watching Olan. Besides, I'm supposed to be 'dead', remember? It would be awfully inconvenient for the new king if I reappeared. Besides, now that Prince Goltana is dead, there's no reason for me to surface again."

Ramza nodded briefly. He knew the pain of being separated from your family, but Orlandu and Olan were both strong. They'd be all right. He turned to the rest of the people who'd either been sitting there all along or had emerged from tents when they heard him arriving.

"Agrias? You're still here?"

The Holy Knight nodded. "The Prin- the Queen doesn't need me anymore, and I can't return to the St. Konoe Knights after aiding a heretic." She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face before settling her hand on her hip. "You've led me this far, Ramza. I suppose I'll just have to stay with you until I find something else I can do."

"Oh." Ramza felt a bit foolish. There wasn't much else to be said. He turned to the green-robed female knight who was sitting near the fire pit.

"You too, Meliadoul?"

"I'm not going back to the Shrine Knights after everything I've seen." Her voice was firm. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do now, so I'd rather stay with you for a while longer, if I can."

"Well…sure." Ramza executed a final turn. "Beowulf? Reis?"

Reis looked at Beowulf expectantly. The Temple Knight shrugged.

"I'm a heretic too, Ramza. Reis and I don't really have anywhere we need to go in a hurry. Actually we don't really have anywhere to go, period. If you don't mind, we'd like to hang around a little longer."

He paused a moment, then suddenly grinned.

"Looks like you've done a great job of gathering a lot of people with nowhere else to go, Ramza."

The Beoulve looked perplexed. "I _really_ wasn't expecting this."

Rafa laughed.

"It looks like you're stuck with us a for little while longer."

Malak nodded.

"C'mon, Ramza, is it really that bad?"

"No… I just guessed everyone would have other things to do. I thought with the fighting over you'd all go back to your lives…somewhere." He knew it sounded lame, but he couldn't think of anything else. He hadn't exactly thought of what he was going to do when the fighting was finally done, much less what his comrades were supposed to do.

Well, it wasn't as though he really had any place to settle down, and since it seemed likely he'd still be traveling, having a few companions wouldn't be a bad idea anyway. He looked over the mixed group of people and had to smile. They all came from a variety of backgrounds, but they'd all proven themselves to be completely trustworthy. After all, they _had _literally followed him to Hell and back. 

The thing was, what _was _he going to do? Ramza turned and stared down the road. Well, as always, he'd just have to put one foot in front of the other…he could always figure things out as they went along.

Little did he know how precious little time he had to relax.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Anyone else noticed that when Wiegraf fights, he's always accompanied by female warriors ONLY? (The chocobo doesn't count) The man is pimpin'…but he's still a loser. Seriously, can he possibly compare with Elmdor? Not only does Elmdor have more style (only two escorts, not a whole friggin' harem), but either Celia or Lede would demolish Wiegraf in a heartbeat. I'd love to have an Assassin in my party. Plus Elmdor is the FFT clone of Sephiroth, so a little of the coolness factor carries over.

**Author's Notes: **I would sincerely like to thank the guy who posted up the game script on GameFAQs. Not sure if it's entirely legal, but it was a great help in remembering tiny details.

**Alpha Draconis: **Well, Ramza really isn't the brooding sort. He seems to be the ultimate 'nice guy' type. Heck, if I was him I'd probably have degenerated into the cynical anti-hero, but no, not Ramza.

Agrias might seem to be more open after the fight at the execution site…maybe because she just dropped right out of the story? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I recall that to be her last speaking role. Unless she spouts one of those weird Holy Sword incantations. And yes, I know she's older than Ramza… your point being?

No need to thank me, just doin' what I do.

**tenshi no ai: **Well, if you find Lakus boring you might not enjoy the story that much… 'cause he's the antagonist and he'll be around a lot. It'll get a little more interesting later on, though.

I have this thing against writing someone's name over and over again, like 'Ramza went and got his…Ramza turned around…etc'. So I type stuff like 'the Beoulve', which could be confusing, I guess, since there are two of 'em. I'll try to stop that. 

I also have a penchant for those corny hints of trouble coming at the end of chapters. Yep, nothing like ruining the mood with some gloom…and I never said I was ever going to have Meliadoul take off her hood. As far as I'm concerned it can stay on forever. Could be better that way. As for the other comments, I think it's possible to inject romance into an action story, but it would be cheesy unless done correctly. I am not even going to try. Beowulf and Reis are pretty much an accepted couple, and I don't think I'll go out of my way to advertise that. Sorry.

Chapter Four

Olan peeked through the dense shrubbery that rose above the crumbling brick wall he and Balmafula were sheltered behind. Armored figures crunched along the gravel path fifty yards away, helmeted heads turning right and left to search their surroundings. None of them seemed to be paying any special attention to the overgrown rubble of an old tomb that they were using for shelter, and Olan breathed a faint sigh of relief. At that same moment, Balmafula's hand snaked up and over his shoulder, grabbing him tightly and pulling him back down. 

"Keep down!" she hissed, glancing behind them. "Those are Shrine Knights. What're they doing here?"

He read the fear in her voice. He knew she had once been affiliated with the Church and that she had failed in her mission of killing Delita if he betrayed the High Priest. Perhaps they were searching for her? But then, all accounts of what had happened at Murond Holy Place pointed towards the death of the High Priest and his closest associates. What, then, was the purpose of the Shrine Knights here? Maybe the new leaders were now trying to eliminate everyone who'd known about the conspiracy. It was possible, but that meant that the eyes of Glabados were spread further out than he'd believed; how could they have known he and Balmafula would come here?

With that thought, he wondered if the Church would try to assassinate the king. Delita knew everything about their plans; in fact, he'd helped carry them out. He mulled it over, then decided it was impossible. Delita was sure to be on guard against any plots by the new High Priest or whoever was in charge; in its weakened and confused state the Church would never dream of killing the king. Then again, who could predict how a cornered rat would act.

"Are you listening?" Balmafula slapped his shoulder.

"Oh, sorry. Just thinking." 

"Think less and act more. Come on, we've got to get out of here."

He nodded and followed after as the agile woman snaked her way across the grass and then dashed to the shelter of the next grave marker large enough for her to hide behind. He waited to make sure she was clear before doing the same. The pair of them zigzagged their way across the graveyard until they were hidden behind a wall of a mausoleum with a good view of the gates. Olan grunted briefly when he saw the glint of sunlight off a polished helmet. No way out here. Balmafula looked out further, then frowned and gestured for him to observe something. He craned his neck out to see better, then blinked in confusion when he saw a troop of knights herding a group of black-clad mourners towards the gates.

"What're they doing?"

"Doesn't matter right now. When the guards are all looking at them, we go over the wall." She indicated a portion of the stonework that had a large tree beside it to provide some cover.

"Maybe we should just try to outwait them."

"I don't like our chances with Shrine Knight patrols everywhere in the graveyard. If they spot us before we're out of here, we can just drop back down and hide. I'm sure we can outrun men in armor."

"Alright. Would you like to go first?"

She glanced at him, as though looking for any traces of sarcasm, then nodded briefly. 

"Fine. Give me a boost when we get there."

They waited in silence until the procession was almost at the gates, then she abruptly patted his leg as a signal and bolted towards the wall. He was right behind her, folding his hands together to give her a foothold as they reached their target. She unhesitatingly planted her foot in his gloved hands and he pushed her up as far as he could until he saw her hands grab the top. Her other foot scrabbled for a moment, then found purchase and she levered herself up the rest of the way until she was straddling the top of the wall. As she turned and reached down to give him a hand up, Olan said a silent thank-you to whoever ruled the universe that the cemetery's ornamental walls were not lined with spikes. Then he grabbed her hand and clambered to the top, where they both jumped down. At that moment, though, a sentry chose to glance back in their direction.

"Stop! There they are!"

The two pelted in the other direction at full speed, followed by a ruckus of shouting and clanking as knights dashed after them. Balmafula glanced over her shoulder.

"What now?"

"Run until you see Hokuten!"

The duo lowered their heads in unison and charged on down the street.

Lakus watched impatiently as the squire scrutinized the tracks.

"They started running here. Not more than an hour or so ago."

"Then let's get going." The churchman gestured impatiently. "They must be captured as soon as possible."

Tyralt scrutinized the path ahead. The field was open and relatively bare of most objects that could hide a potential ambusher, but some ways ahead the path narrowed down, hemmed in on both sides by large trees that could have archers waiting in their branches or swordsmen hidden in their shadows.

"Perhaps a little more caution would be in order as we approach the tree line, your eminence. The heretic could have a camp there, and sentries watching the path."

The Pagan Examiner scowled. 

"And just what to you suggest?"

"A prudent idea would be to trap anyone who is waiting to trap us. We send a mounted force ahead to seal off the other side and then both units push forward at once. If they're in there they'll have no place to go."

"If they're even in there."

Tyralt shrugged.

"If not we'll just keep after them. If they've kept on going for a while, we couldn't catch them if we tried."

"Very well, then. Get on with it."

Ramza looked up at the sky.

"Well, it's getting near noon. We'll have a meal and then break camp. It's a nice day to travel."

"It would be better," Beowulf groused, "if we had enough chocobos for everyone."

"Well, we don't. Everyone will be on foot anyway. The chocobos will be carrying our gear."

"We should buy a few. Come on, Ramza, surely you've made that much money by now."

"Stop complaining, Beowulf." Reis gave the knight a disapproving look. "Walking never hurt anyone."

"Of course, but it's not for me that I'm complaining." He gave her an exaggerated bow. "It pains my heart to see my love forced to walk like all the rest of us unworthy peasants…"

She laughed. "Stop it!"

"Aw, don't get mushy on us, please." Malak shook his head. "I can't stand that."

The Temple Knight shrugged elaborately. "Not the most romantic situations… or traveling partners."

"All right, cut it out." Ramza shook his head, more with resignation than any real feeling of annoyance. Traveling with this bunch was never dull. "Who's cooking?"

There was no reply. Ramza glanced over his shoulder, then belatedly realized that Worker 8, who they'd placed in charge of keeping track of the cooking order, was gone.

"Um… does anyone remember whose turn it ought to be?"

There was more silence, which was broken by Reis.

"No. We all forgot to ask for the schedule before Worker 8 left with Mustadio."

"Oh. Who wants to cook, then?"

Another pause followed his question, then Agrias stood up. 

"I'll do it."

Malak nodded, looking relieved.

"Thanks, Agrias. We ought to make up a new order."

Alma stood also. 

"I'll help you, Agrias. Ever since I've been with you I've never been called to cook yet."

The Holy Knight nodded, then turned to their provisions. Alma started round the fire pit, elbowing Ramza playfully as she went by.

"Why don't you help too, brother?"

"Er…"

"No." It was Beowulf who spoke. "By common agreement Ramza's excused from cooking duty."

Alma looked around a circle of suddenly grim faces.

"Why?"

"Have you ever tried your brother's cooking?" Meliadoul spoke the question.

"No…"

"Lucky you." There was general agreement.

Alma glanced at her brother. Ramza shrugged.

"I have to get firewood and do the washing twice as often," he offered.

Orlandu wandered back in from the edge of the camp where he'd been on guard duty.

"Who's up?"

"I am." Rafa got up and headed off to relieve him. Cid brushed some dried leaves off his cloak that had attached themselves to him while he was sitting.

"Ramza, where do you plan on going?"

"I was actually hoping to stay in Gallione, but now that I think about it, it might not be such a good idea. Maybe we'll head north, to Fovoham. Malak and Rafa know the area, and it's further from Murond and Lionel. The Church probably hasn't given up on me yet."

The old man nodded gravely.

"I had that feeling too, Ramza. I agree with your decision. Better to get as far away from them as possible."

At that moment, a dark shadow blotted out the sun overhead.


End file.
